Chapter 33

"That's already taken care off." Ewatomi told them and Ireti skeptically pulled the curtain aside, peeped into the room and confirmed it. Ewatomi was right indeed, the room was so neat and one would have doubted that childbirth had only taken place there a few minutes ago. "Baba, I can see that you are poor." Ewatomi said to Babatunde. "When you show no traces of fainting again, you can go check under your bed, you'll find ten bars of gold there."

Babatunde's eyes widened now and he quickly dashed into his hut to see for himself. When he returned, he was smiling and fanning himself with his cap. "This child is indeed blessed." He beamed in satisfaction as he sauntered towards his wife. "Dear wife, we are rich! Gone are the days of our penury! We are rich! Glory be to God! That's why I called her Ebunoluwa!"

Ireti glanced towards the low wooden fence surrounding their house and realized that some of the villagers were already gathering, trying to see Ewatomi for themselves. It was obvious that the news surrounding her birth had reached the whole village. Among the curious onlookers was the man, Oyediran, who had seen Ewatomi struggling for breath on the river bank nine months ago.

 When he had seen her months ago, he had instantly known that she had come to live amongst them, especially when the news about Ireti's pregnancy had spread all over the village. The curious villagers began to crane their necks to get a better view of the infant in the bowl while they murmured amongst one another.

Just then, the crowd split in two as two royal guards strode into the compound and approached the couple. "Babatunde!" One of them spoke. "The king has told us to summon you and your family to the palace! He has asked to see the mysterious child who has cut her own umbilical cord herself!"

Babatunde heaved a sigh. He knew that this would happen but he didn't expect that it would be this soon. Clearing his throat, he replied the guard, "You can go... Tell the Kabiyesi that we'll come to the palace as soon as we have dressed and fed the baby."

"We will wait!" The second guard stated. "The king gave strict instructions that your family must follow us to the palace, so prepare the child now!"

"Alright then, wait." Babatunde answered and whispered to his wife to go get the child ready. But as Ireti lifted Ewatomi out of the bowl and into her arms, a younger woman who resembled her, rushed into the compound, screaming in joy. When Ireti turned, she realized that it was no other person than her younger sister, Yaremi.

"Ha! Sista mi! Sista miii oooo! Mo gbo kpe e ti bimo! (My sister! My sister! I heard that you have put to bed!) E je ka dupe! (Let us give thanks!)" Yaremi said in deceitful joy as she held the hem of her wrapper and danced around. After dancing for a few minutes to the song she sang herself, she stretched her open hands towards Ireti. "Give the child to me and let me see my niece."

Having no ill thoughts towards her nor suspicions, Ireti handed the baby over to her sister. Now, Yaremi is the culprit who was responsible for Ireti's barrenness for fourteen years because of her jealousy towards her elder sister. When Yaremi had heard of Ireti's pregnancy months ago, she had made several attempts to terminate her elder sister's pregnancy, but when the child had refused to die, Yaremi had decided to patiently wait until Ireti had put to bed.

When the news that her sister had finally put to bed had reached her, Yaremi had put a charm in her mouth, said an incantation and hurried to her sister's house to carry out her evil plan. Her plan was that once she kissed the baby on the forehead, the baby would fall sick several hours later and die within the week.

Now that she carried Ewatomi in her arms, she cooed down at the baby and tickled her with a finger, saying several babyish sounds soothe to her and make her laugh, but Ewatomi was not impressed, neither did she laugh. She only folded her little arms on her small chest and gave the evil woman a mean look. 

After rocking her in her arms and praising her with more beautiful names, Yaremi lowered her head to press a kiss on the baby's head. Knowing what was about to happen, Ewatomi suddenly unfolded her arms and gave Yaremi a heavy knock on the forehead between her eyes.

Exclaiming from the unexpected attack from the baby in her arms, Yaremi blinked several times now and made confused sounds as she repeatedly wiped her free hand over her eyes to clear her sight, but when it finally dawned on her that all she could see was darkness, she suddenly screamed. "Yehhhh! Oju mi! Yehhh! Oju mi! Sista mi, my eyes! Egbami ke! Something is wrong with my eyes!" She blinked rapidly now.

Scared that her sister would drop her child, Ireti quickly reached out and collected Ewatomi from Yaremi's arm.

"Sista mi... I can't see!" Yaremi said as she frantically rubbed her eyes with her fists. "Mi o le riran mo! (I can't see anymore!)" She cried out in despair.

The villagers began to murmur the more in surprise at the scene.

"Ahan, what do you mean by you can't see anymore?" Babatunde asked in confusion. "Were you not the one who was just singing and dancing here a minute ago?" He asked Yaremi then glanced at his wife who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm serious!" Yaremi stated in frustration, almost on the verge of tears. "I can't see anymore!" She said, blindly stretching her arms in front of her as if trying to feel her way around. "E ma gba mi! (Help me!) That baby has done something to me! That evil baby has blinded me! I CAN'T SEE!!!"

"I'll not have you call my daughter names, Yaremi!" Ireti spat out in defense now.

"Leave her, let her be running her mouth until I knock her again and this time, she'll run mad!" Ewatomi said but only, Ireti, Babatunde and Yaremi could hear her.

"Ha!" Yaremi gasped in shock after she heard the baby's voice. "So she talks! The child speaks!" Yaremi managed to turn towards the fence then said aloud so that the villagers could hear her. "IRETI HAS GIVEN BIRTH TO A WITCH! A VERY EVIL WITCH!"

The murmuring of the people got louder now but Ireti quickly entered her room to prepare her baby for the palace, ignoring her sister and her situation. She soon emerged, fully dressed with the baby strapped to her back and she started for the palace with her husband and the guards while her sister who was now being led to her house by one of the village women, continued to lament about her lost eyesight.

Deep in the evil forest, an old woman with a hunchback, clad in filthy rags, watched what was happening in Ireti's compound on the magical bark of a tree. She hobbled away from the tree in her hunched position and looked towards the village with a dark look in her eyes. Laughing sinisterly and revealing her stained teeth, she said in a low raspy voice. "The time has finally come." Her sinister laughter grew louder now, filling the forest.

                                                                                  * * *

 When Ireti and Babatunde finally arrived at the palace, the ruling King, the grandson of Adewale was already seated on his throne, waiting for the couple who had been followed by a throng of villagers into the palace.

"Kaaaabbbieeeeyyyyeeeesssiii oooo!" Babatunde removed his cap and prostrated on the floor of the throne which was laid with several beautiful mats. While he prostrated, Ireti went on her knees in reverence.

The king patted Babatunde on the shoulder with his irukere (horse-tail fly whisk). "Rise, my son...rise both of you." The king said and Babatunde and his wife rose. "Sit down...you are welcome." The king said and the couple sat next to each other on the mat opposite three chiefs who were present in the palace. 

Ireti unstrapped her baby from her back now and carried her in her arms, wrapping her in a white cloth. The Queen, the King's wife, sat on her husband's right hand on a lower throne, while her own daughter who was just three years old, sat at her feet. The little girl, named, Kikelomo, was very beautiful and was dressed in royal clothes and beads.

"I sent for you and your wife..." The Kabiyesi began. "You must be wondering why I did so because I've never summoned you to the palace before, but a rather peculiar news reached me earlier today which surprised me and my cabinet of chiefs...Urmmm..." He pointed at his irukere at Ireti. 

"I heard that your wife has just put to bed... I'm must say that I'm sorry for making her come all the way down here when normally, she should be resting after childbirth, but from the look of things, she's as strong as a horse and shows no signs of a woman who has just undergone labor, which is rather impressive. Anyway, let's get to the point. Babatunde, is it true that your baby cut her own umbilical cord herself?" The king asked, placing an elbow on his knee and leaning a bit towards Babatunde.